Skippy SH13
Forum Supporter
Some of you have followed my other thread where I built the damascus knife and leather sheath for my father for Christmas.
I followed it up by combining my last winter hobby (silver casting) by casting a silver buckle and then making a matching leather belt.
The amount of work that goes into a belt, I learned, is about 3x what goes into a leather sheath. There are over 2000 hammer strikes in 38" belt (or at least this one). I also did some minor tooling on the end of the belt opposite the buckle (not shown).
The buckle is made of a combination of scrap silver from my finds, and some silver bullion (purchased with clad). There was over 3 ounces of silver in the pour, and the finished product is over 2 troy ounces. (I have a small button left over, about a half-ounce worth), and lost some silver due to cleanup of the finished piece. I alloyed the silver bullion down to 925, by adding pre-1982 copper pennies according to weight. Works well enough. Scrap silver was already 925. The final belt buckle is actually higher than true sterling (probably closer to 93.5% actually, as I added some pure silver to ensure there was enough in the pour).
I left the cast silver with some cast marks in it, to give it some distinction. It's kind of a cool piece, and should weather nicely with cool grooves and such that won't stay polished.
I love how the pattern and coloration of the belt and sheath both match. Going to make an awesome "from the son" Christmas present.
Looking forward, though, to warmer days, where I can get out and find some more clad, silver, and gold! Hammering inside, and leatherwork is getting old, fast. I ended up doing two more belts (one for each boy), but bought buckles for them (much cheaper than casting silver!).
Cheers,
Skippy
I followed it up by combining my last winter hobby (silver casting) by casting a silver buckle and then making a matching leather belt.
The amount of work that goes into a belt, I learned, is about 3x what goes into a leather sheath. There are over 2000 hammer strikes in 38" belt (or at least this one). I also did some minor tooling on the end of the belt opposite the buckle (not shown).
The buckle is made of a combination of scrap silver from my finds, and some silver bullion (purchased with clad). There was over 3 ounces of silver in the pour, and the finished product is over 2 troy ounces. (I have a small button left over, about a half-ounce worth), and lost some silver due to cleanup of the finished piece. I alloyed the silver bullion down to 925, by adding pre-1982 copper pennies according to weight. Works well enough. Scrap silver was already 925. The final belt buckle is actually higher than true sterling (probably closer to 93.5% actually, as I added some pure silver to ensure there was enough in the pour).
I left the cast silver with some cast marks in it, to give it some distinction. It's kind of a cool piece, and should weather nicely with cool grooves and such that won't stay polished.
I love how the pattern and coloration of the belt and sheath both match. Going to make an awesome "from the son" Christmas present.
Looking forward, though, to warmer days, where I can get out and find some more clad, silver, and gold! Hammering inside, and leatherwork is getting old, fast. I ended up doing two more belts (one for each boy), but bought buckles for them (much cheaper than casting silver!).
Cheers,
Skippy